Neighborhood clock running out of time

April 4, 2012

by Vincent Ginardi

One Pine Hills building is stuck in time; at least according to the clock on its outside wall. The hands on the clock near the top of the building at 1066 Madison Ave. refuse to move, keeping the time at a permanent 6:45. The clock has been stuck for a long time- so long that building owner Thomas Burke, who bought the property in the 1990’s, can’t even pinpoint when it first stopped working.

“We wanted to have [the clock] there as a signature feature,” Burke said.

The clock has been frozen at 6:45 for a number of years, and despite multiple attempts, has never been properly fixed. Burke said there is a real possibility the clock will be removed permanently if he can’t find a way to get it working in the near future.

The clock on the building at 1066 Madison Ave is permanently stuck at 6:45. /Vinny Ginardi

“We haven’t been able to find someone with the expertise or knowledge to fix it. But if we can’t get it to work, then we will do something about it. We might have to remove it,” Burke said.

According to Burke, the clock, which faces toward West Lawrence Street, is supposed to be synched to the U.S. atomic clock, but for whatever reason, hasn’t been able to function the way it should. Ironically, the advantage to owning a clock that is synched to the atomic clock is that the time projected will always be correct to the exact second.

In the United States, clocks that are linked to the U.S. atomic clock actually receive radio signals from a station set up and operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology located near Fort Collins, Colorado. According to the institute’s website, clocks that are supposed to be synched to the atomic clock contain miniature radio receivers that are specifically designed to receive the radio signals from the institute’s station.

“It’s very rare for something like this to happen,” said John Lowe, leader of the institute’s Time and Frequency Services. “There is no reason that Albany shouldn’t receive the signal, but there could be a number of issues at stake.”

Lowe said that these issues could revolve around the manufacturer of the clock, what type of signal receiver the clock has, and the orientation of its antenna. Lowe said that something as simple as the antenna pointing in the wrong direction could potentially be the problem, but reiterated that the problem here is most likely on the receiving end, not the sending end.

“Unless there is some sort of electrical storm, there shouldn’t be any problem in the radio signals reaching the Albany area,” Lowe said.

Although the clock hasn’t been functioning for a number of years, the broken clock doesn’t defy any building regulations. The city of Albany chief building inspector, Carlo Sigliomeni, said that the clock doesn’t violate any safety regulations.

“If the clock was ready to fall or something like that, then it would be a building issue. But if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work,” Sigliomeni said.

Outside of the clock, Burke views the building as a beautiful establishment. The building includes three food services: Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, and Xinlong Chinese Restaurant. While there have been some down periods, the businesses within the building have been an overall success. Burke notes that the dense population, the College of Saint Rose, and the local community as a whole were major reasons why he chose that location for the building.

The 1066 Madison building on a Monday afternoon. / Vinny Ginardi

“We think it actually spurred legitimate additional development. We raised the bar on the quality of development in the area,” Burke said.

Burke also said that other buildings and businesses in the area have been so impressed with the appearance of his building that they have mimicked his design. For example, the Mobil gas station right across Madison Avenue has a similar setup with the brick building and overhanging roof, with the only difference the roof is a different color.

Burke is hopeful to get the clock fixed and working properly, but given the failed attempts in the past, is putting serious consideration into taking the clock down altogether.

“I think that it’s a beautiful building,” Burke said. “The building isn’t about the clock.” -30-